See 10 Emerging Hairstylists Interpret Spring's Biggest Hair Trends

At Allure, we have a long history of incubating up-and-coming beauty talent. So when Mastered, the online, fashion-oriented talent program, approached us to be a part of Sam McKnight's class for editorial hairstylists, we enthusiastically jumped onboard. We played guest teacher, assigned a little homework, and offered up a challenge: Create a hairstyle for a story that highlights the hottest looks of the moments (think loosely knotted ponytails, disheveled blowouts, or French braids gone rogue). From the 40 students' work, we chose our ten favorite styles—and asked the finalists to tell us a little bit about themselves. Ahead, get acquainted with the next big hair stars.

My inspiration came from the braids that were in a lot of the spring/summer 2016 shows. There are always braids, but I wanted to make mine soft, textured, and messy to give a slight editorial edge with a commercial feel.

I was inspired by natural beauty and finding my own trends within that. I based this look on natural texture and my own trend projections for this upcoming year, allowing it to relate to basically any hair type.

Who do you consider the most underrated hair icon?

Hilary Duff. She's a young mom, supercute, and very hip lately with chopping her hair, coloring it pink, etc.

What's the best advice or tip you received from Sam McKnight?

One of the most informative tips I learned from the program was how to get noticed working backstage at fashion week or shoots. Sam mentioned that the ones who are loud and obnoxious will rarely be the ones who get called for more work, no matter how talented they are. It's the quiet, gentle spirit that will attract people.

Describe your style in five words.

Relevant, patient, forward, dark yet life-giving at the same time.

What's your ultimate secret (hair) weapon?

Arrojo ReFinish Dry Shampoo. It's a versatile product that can make flat hair expand or dirty hair fresh, and it adds that perfect texture to hair that just isn't doing anything right. I keep one in my bag with me to help myself and others in times of need, whether on location at a shoot or in day-to-day life.

The inspiration behind my looks for this brief were knots and braids, as I'd seen several different versions of these on the spring/summer 2016 catwalks and thought I would love to do my own interpretation of them.

Who do you consider the most underrated hair icon?

Pink because she can carry off any style, any color, and any length but always manages to look amazing.

The inspiration for my look came, of course, from the last season's runway trends, but I also wanted to create something cooler for the younger girls that was more inspired by Coachella. I wanted the braids to look sophisticated but at the same time edgy and modern with lots of texture.

This isn't a traditional class that's going to show you how to do the best blow-dry for your clients; it's about taking you to another level in your career and making you aware of what fashion hair is about. It's also been helpful to understand that I can't be posting Saturday Night Fever selfies on Instagram if I want people who matter to see my account!

I was inspired by all the different hairstyles that I came across on the street and at work, and how easily girls can twist their hair into a shape and still make it look cool. Ultimately, I wanted to produce images that were playful and like your high-school yearbook.